The
Tell-Tale Heart
by
Edgar Allan Poe
(unabridged)
(One
Voice Recordings Audiobook) 
 The
Tell-Tale Heart
was first published in 1843; it is one of Poe's most famous short
stories and even to this day it is regularly anthologized.
The story is told in the first person and although right from the
beginning the narrator tries to defend his sanity it is blatantly
obvious that he is more than a little deranged. The
Tell-Tale Heart is not just
the story of a madman though; it is also the story of a murder. The
narrator shared a house with an old man and after days of careful
planning and preparation the narrator murdered him. Why? Apparently for
no other reason than he did not like the old man's 'vulture
eye.'
Although
the narrator's description of his crime is very detailed, much else in
the story remains a mystery. The narrator never identifies himself and
although it is usually presumed that this confession that masquerades
as a declaration of sanity is coming from a man, it could just as
easily be from a woman.
The
relationship between the narrator and the old man also remains
unexplained. Was the old man the narrator's employer? A relative
perhaps? Again, it is a mystery, but it does not matter and the lack of
explanation does not spoil The
Tell-Tale
Heart, it is a short work and
too much explanation might have diluted the impact of the story.
In
this audiobook version of The
Tell-tale Heart David
Ian Davies voices the
madman's words. The runtime is about thirteen and a half minutes and Mr
Davies tells the story very well indeed. I particularly enjoy the voice
he uses for the old man and the echo effect added
when he cries out "Who's there?" adds a little extra creepiness. I also
noticed that, as he tells the story, he gradually seems to become more
and more unhinged and the way that Mr Davies does this really brings
the story to life. The narrator is a madman and Davies makes him sound
like a madman. I give him top marks for his telling of the story.
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